Firefighters urge council to allow veteran captain to use sick leave before retirement; union calls for handbook update

Firefighters, union representatives and the wife of a retiring captain told the Hamilton Township Council that Captain Joe Pushman was denied the use of accrued sick leave for his final two weeks of employment and urged the council to change the township employee handbook.

The testimony centered on the treatment of Pushman, who the union says retired March 1 after a work-related illness and was told he could not use sick leave for his final two weeks. Steve Dixon, captain of Engine 3 B Platoon and vice president of FMBA Local 284, said Pushman’s conditions matched injuries Dixon suffered and described the council’s decision as a failure to uphold the “social contract” between the community and its public safety workers.

“This is the social contract. In return, the will of the people administered by elected officials and those they appoint is supposed to ensure that we and our families are taken care of when that day comes,” Dixon said. He told the council the grievance filed by Pushman’s union had been denied and urged an immediate committee to review the handbook so administrators have discretion to avoid denying earned sick time to injured employees.

Shane Moe, president of Local 284, told the council the township handbook has not been updated to reflect how the fire department operates and that critical policies such as light-duty procedures are either missing or informal. “It’s time to update this policy, this handbook, and get it into today’s standards,” Moe said.

Dawn (last name not specified), identified as the wife of Captain Pushman, described her husband’s hospitalizations and surgeries and said he still lacked a date with the pension board. “He wanted and tried so hard to finish his career,” she said. “The way you have treated him is so wrong.”

Council members declined to address specifics in public because the township attorney advised the body not to comment while arbitration or grievance processes are pending. Council President Tai said the comments would be taken under advisement.

What happened: Speakers said Pushman was medically unable to continue firefighting duties, that his doctor advised he could not continue in that role, and that a grievance over the denial of sick leave for his final pay period was denied by the administration. Speakers asked the council to (1) allow Pushman to use his accrued sick leave for his final pay period instead of forcing him to exhaust vacation, (2) form a committee to update the township employee handbook, and (3) grant administrators discretion to treat line-of-duty injury cases differently going forward.

Council response and next steps: Council members repeatedly thanked firefighters for their service and expressed sympathy, but told speakers the council could not comment on particulars while administrative or legal processes were under way. No formal motion, vote, or policy change was taken or announced at the meeting.

Context and implications: Union speakers argued the handbook’s language and application result in a different retirement payout depending on whether time off is coded as vacation or sick time; they said vacation pays out hour for hour while sick time is paid at a different post-retirement rate. They also said longstanding gaps — missing or informal policies related to light duty and transfers — leave injured firefighters without clear alternatives. The union urged the township to act to preserve recruitment and retention of firefighters.

The council did not set a timeline for reviewing the handbook or convening the committee requested by speakers. The township attorney told the council not to discuss pending grievance details at the meeting.